Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has welcomed the announcement of the first of 20 grants selected for the Mayo electorate under the Stronger Communities Program.

The successful Fleurieu applicants to date include:

·       Aldinga Bay Bowling Club received $8,380 for new mowing equipment.

·       Willunga Bowling Club received $5,696 for shade structures.

·       Aldinga Bay Surf Life Saving Club received $5542 to set up a ‘pop-up kitchen’ for the summer while their storm-damaged clubrooms are replaced.

·       Yankalilla Hockey Club received $4,000 to install solar panels.

·       Parawa Progress Association received $2,637 to install air conditioning.

“These grants make an enormous difference to the capacity of our clubs and community groups to take on much needed projects,” Rebekha says.

“I congratulate all the groups who made applications to this round of the Stronger Communities Program.

“In order to be impartial, I established an independent committee to help me select the successful applicants.

“My committee was very impressed with the time and effort put into the applications and the focus the projects had on benefiting the wider community.

“These grants are an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in our region and help communities with practical projects such as shade structures, mowing equipment and air conditioning.”

Round 5 of the Stronger Communities Program provided $22.65 million to share among 151 electorates.

Eligible groups were able to apply for grants between $2,500 and $20,000 from the Federal Government, with a requirement to match the project funds with their own finances or in-kind support.

The remaining grants will be announced in the coming months.